Target has a total of 2236 patents globally, out of which 1874 have been granted. Of these 2236 patents, more than 68% patents are active. USA is where Target has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by Canada and Australia, it has generated an annual revenue of $93.56 billion in the year 2020. Parallelly, USA seems to be the main focused R&D center and is the origin country of Target.
Target Corporation, headquartered in Minnesota, USA is an American big box department store company. The brand has achieved success in the sector as a low-cost, high-style player. As of February 2022, Target has a market cap of $102.15 Billion.
Do read about some of the most popular patents of Target which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find Target’s patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over Target’s patent portfolio.
How many patents does the founder and the CEO of Target have?
The founder, George Dayton, has 0 patents. The CEO, Brian Cornell, has 0 patents.
How many patents does Target have?
Target has a total of 2236 patents globally. These patents belong to 1477 unique patent families. Out of 2236 patents, 1533 patents are active.
How many Target patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents
Patent Families
How Many Patents did Target File Every Year?
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | Target Applications Filed | Target Patents Granted |
| 2011 | 225 | 113 |
| 2012 | 360 | 202 |
| 2013 | 278 | 247 |
| 2014 | 202 | 308 |
| 2015 | 109 | 157 |
| 2016 | 69 | 119 |
| 2017 | 93 | 81 |
| 2018 | 126 | 63 |
| 2019 | 131 | 76 |
| 2020 | 69 | 96 |
| 2021 | 31 | 103 |
| 2022 | – | 5 |
How Many Patents did Target File in Different Countries?
Countries in which Target Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| United States Of America | 1745 |
| Canada | 420 |
| Australia | 15 |
| Europe | 10 |
| China | 7 |
| Italy | 7 |
| Mexico | 6 |
| Japan | 3 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Korea (South) | 1 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| Taiwan | 1 |
Where are Research Centres of Target Patents Located?
10 Best Target Patents
US8325036B1 is the most popular patent in the Target portfolio. It has received 116 citations so far from companies like IBM, Universal Automated Systems, Inc., and Mcconnell Theodore Van Fossen.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of TARGET:
| Publication Number | Count of Citing Patents |
| US8325036B1 | 116 |
| US7797252B2 | 105 |
| US8016090B2 | 98 |
| US8447983B1 | 93 |
| USD686629S1 | 90 |
| USD505450S1 | 89 |
| US8489452B1 | 86 |
| USD598024S1 | 85 |
| US8814128B2 | 82 |
| USD550423S1 | 81 |
Which Companies are using Target Patents to Advance their Research?
The top citing companies in the Target patent portfolio are Walmart, IBM and JP Morgan.
List of the top forward citing Companies –
| Company | Number of Patents |
| Walmart | 47 |
| IBM | 24 |
| JP Morgan | 19 |
| Toshiba | 11 |
| Oracle | 11 |
| Microsoft | 11 |
| Mastercard | 11 |
| Bank Of America | 10 |
| NEC Corp | 10 |
| Visa | 8 |
Count of 102 and 103 Type Rejections based on Target Patents
Top Target Patents used in Rejecting Most Patent Applications
| Patent Number | Count of Rejected Applications |
| US9280777B2 | 23 |
| US8489452B1 | 17 |
| US8032410B2 | 13 |
| US8065353B2 | 13 |
| US8756121B2 | 11 |
| US8606643B2 | 11 |
| US8325036B1 | 10 |
| US9024755B2 | 9 |
| US7606738B2 | 9 |
| US8711553B2 | 8 |
| US7933800B2 | 8 |
| US20140172502A1 | 8 |
| US9600550B2 | 7 |
| US8606652B2 | 7 |
| US20140207510A1 | 7 |
What Percentage of Target US Patent Applications were Granted?
Target (Excluding its subsidiaries) has filed 789 patent applications at USPTO so far (Excluding Design and PCT applications). Out of these 629 have been granted leading to a grant rate of 89.47%.
Below are the key stats of Target patent prosecution at the USPTO.
Which Law Firms Filed Most US Patents for Target?
| Law Firms | Total Applications | Success Rate |
| Target Brands, Inc. | 791 | 92.67% |
| Armament Systems And Procedures, Inc. | 106 | 97.17% |
| Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Successor To Assets Of Vector Products, Inc. | 106 | 97.17% |
| Emissive Energy Corporation | 106 | 97.17% |
| I.Q. Hong Kong Limited | 106 | 97.17% |
| M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank | 106 | 97.17% |
| Team Products International, Inc. | 106 | 97.17% |
| Vector Products, Inc. | 106 | 97.17% |
| Zen Design Group Limited | 106 | 97.17% |
| Parsons, Kevin L. | 81 | 96.30% |
Patents acquired by Target
Target has acquired 9 patents from other companies which are not associated with Target.
| Company | Patent Families |
| United Steel & Wire | 6 |
| Americhip | 2 |
| Beifa Group | 1 |
List of acquired patents of Target
| Publication Number | Title | Patent Acquired From |
| US7520425B2 | Slide-out gift card | Americhip |
| US7445157B2 | Model-hold stored value card | Americhip |
| US7237782B2 | Rear gate assembly for shopping cart | United Steel & Wire |
| USD528732S1 | Plastic shopping cart basket | United Steel & Wire |
| USD526106S1 | Bottom tray for shopping cart | United Steel & Wire |
| USD525008S1 | Shopping cart handle | United Steel & Wire |
| USD523207S1 | Plastic child seat for shopping cart | United Steel & Wire |
| US6981708B1 | Shopping cart basket | United Steel & Wire |
| CN301998173S | Pen | Beifa Group |
Target is investing in store technology to make shopping even better! While customers may not be aware of all the new technology fueling the in-store shopping experience, they are already reaping the benefits.
Let’s say a guest can’t find an item in their size or prefers a different colour. Rather than leaving the store empty-handed, they can now have a Target associate place an online order right on the sales floor and have it delivered to their homes.
How? Target’s tech team created a new software called “myCheckout” for team members’ portable devices. Team members can utilise myCheckout to browse Target.com for desired items, then accept payments from customers using a credit card reader linked to the mobile tablet. Guests leave knowing that their purchases are on their way to them—and that shipping is free!
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
What are Target’s key innovation segments?
What Technologies are Covered by Target?
The chart below distributes patents filed by Target in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where Target thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.
R&D Focus: How Target search focus changed over the years?
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS COMING SOON!
Interested in knowing about the areas of innovation that are being protected by Target?